Dehydrating apparatus



H. D. TODT DEHYDRATING APPARATUS Filed March 17. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR =5 H. D. TDDT f A TTORNE Y H. D. TODT DEHYDRATING APPARATUS Filed March 17, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. H D TDD T ATTORNEY 1 cu lation Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

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rEnr" o frrcs HARTWIGH, 1).. room, or sanrnanorsco, OAiiIFOBN-IAQ I DEHYDRATING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 17, 1923. Serial $70,625,753.

To all whom it may cancer- 21 v Be it known'that l, llaI-riwvicrr D; Tour, a citizen of the Republic o't Germany, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San This invention relates to improvements in dehydrating apparatus.

The principal "object of this invention is to provide a tunnel drier or dc-hydrate-rhaving simple and efficient means for maintaining and retaining auniitorm heat'andair circulation. Another object. is to provide means whereby the partly moistened air is reheated and used over-again.

A. "further object is to provide the air cirwithout employingmechanical means such as tans or blowers for causing the circulation.

tithe! objects and'advantages willbe apparent duringyth course of the following 1 description.

in the accompanying drawings forming a p-artot "this specification, and in which like numerals are employed todesignate like parts throughout the same,

Fig-Lire l is a vertical longitudinal sec- "rion of my device,

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1; looking in the direction ofthe arrow, and I b the drier trays.

Applicant-is aware of the fact that tunnel driers have been employed tor the purpose of de-hyi'lratingvegetables and the like. 'llhese devices, in order toobtain a proper circulation employed the use of fans or blowers which are expensive and run at a substantially uniform speed, with the result that it is diiticult to control the amount ot' circulation.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numerals 6, 7, S and 9 refer to vertical uprights, which support a root 11.

A suitable siding- 12 is secured to the uprights, while the lower portions of the ends are closed as shown at 13 and let. Secured to the uprights to 9 are angle iron supports shown at 16.

It will be noted by viewing Figure 1. that Fi ure-S is a'pc-rspective view of one of these supports slant from .0Il6.- l'1(litt0Wfl.-1 Cl the other, the loading end being higher than the unloading end. In order to simpli fy the ;lrawings, I have shown but one. set of trays supported. upon the top. supports. Thesetrays,tour innumber; are designated by the numerals 1'7, 18, 19 and 21.

A series of pivoted doors 22 serve to. close. the loading end,: while tlaSQlFlQS-Of plvoted doors 23 serve to. close theunloadingend. These doors are closed by gravity as will he noted by viewingFigure.1. Tl'1estructure thus far described merely. forms aidrying chamber within whichlaplurality of trays are positioned.

The numeral 2e designatesbaflie plates and it will .be noted that these battle plates:

are positioneijl adjacent the unloading end and are of varying sizes from. the top toward the bottom. These baflie plates are secured to the underside of. the supports 16;

At 26 is shown a deflector. plate having one end in close proximity to the. lowermost battle 24 and having. its opposite end inclined downwardlyasbest shownin Fig ure 1; J

At 271 have shown a tire box within which a tire of any type ma-y be:p1aced,i

as indicated by the arrows.

A series of fire tubes 31-ertendtron1-thcq fire box 527 to a smoke, chamber 32. This smoke chamber opens outwardly through an opening 33 and=to a stack34, it of course being" understood that there 1s; a Sim-r r stack provided on each side of the clry-1ng chamber as best notedin E'igure 2.

Disposed within this stack 34 is a conduit 36. This conduit communicates with the interior of the drying chamber through a slotted port 37. A ventilating pipe 38 is connected to a flue 39 which flue in turn connects with the conduit 36. The stack 34: is in turn connected to a similar flue {t1 overlying the fine 39 and has a pipe 42 secured thereto.

A division plate 43 rests upon the root 11 at a point within the ventilating pipe 38 and serves to prevent eddy currents forming in the stack.

A chamber il is formed at a point below is heated while passing over i this tire box will enter thedryrng chamber the smoke chamber 32 and has communication with the interior of the drying chamber. At 461 have shown a plurality of pipes of large diameter which pipes communicate with the chamber 44 and extend to a point beneath the grate bars 47 of the fire box. A passageway 48 is also provided from the chamber 44 to the space surrounding the pipes 46 and 31.

The circulation of the air within my device is as follows:-

Assuming that a fire has been built in the fire box 27, the smoke therefrom will pass through the tubes 31 to the smoke chamber 32 where it will divide and pass through the openings 33 into the stacks 34, passing upwardly through the fiue 41 and out of the pipe 42. At the same time the heat given off by'the fire and the smoke will cause a thermo circulation which will draw air through the feed pipes 49 which air will enter the space around the pipes 31 and as the same becomes heated it will rise as 111-.

dicated by the arrows, striking the deflector plate and travelling toward the discharge end of the drying chamber. At the same time air will enter beneath the shield 29 passing over the top of the heated fire box to the space 28 and will also join the previously described heated air. This air will now pass upwardly and a portion will be diverted between each tier of trays as the same comes into contact with the bafiie plates 24. This heated air will travel the I length of the chamber and some will be exhausted through the slotted port 37, into the conduit 36 and will then pass upwardly and out of the pipe 38.

Some of the moisture-laden air will, how ever, drop and will return as indicated by the arrow to the chamber 44 where some of it will pass through the passageway 48 and again enter the normal circulation. Some of this air, however, will enter the pipes 46 and will be conducted to a point beneath the grates of the firebox. I

It is of course understood that all of the parts are suitably insulated so as to prevent undue radiation of the heat employed for the drying.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a device of the character described, a drying chamber having a plurality of supports, parallel spaced on the sides thereof, and adapted to receive trays slidably disposed thereon, a plurality of baflie plates of varying lengths secured to said supports, a deflector plate mounted below saidsupports and inclined downwardly from the lowermost of said battle plates and means for conducting heated air upwardly against said deflector plate, means for exhausting a portion of said heated air from said chamber, and means for re-heating the balance oi said air, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a device of the character described, a drying chamber having a plurality of supports secured thereto, said supports being adapted to receive trays slidably positioned thereon, a plurality of hinged doors adapted to give access to said drying chamber, said doors being disposed at opposite ends thereof, a plurality of bafiie plates positioned adjacent one end of said chamber, said plates being of varying width, a deflector plate positioned beneath said supports, a firebox located beneath said chamber, a plurality of fire tubes extending from said firebox to a point adajcent the opposite end of said chamber from said firebox, a smoke chamber adapted to receive the gases of combustion from said firebox, a stack communicating therewith, means for conducting fresh air to a point beneath said fire tubes, a chamber located beneath said drying chamber, and means for conducting a portion of the air from said chamber to a point beneath said firebox, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

HARTWIGH D. TODT. 

